during the nights, im going to want to be hanging out with other teens and trying to make new friends while my dad is gambling or at the bar. I'm 14 and have heard stories of people getting abducted onboard. what are the probabilites of this stuff? is it a cause for alarm? should i not be going places alone? please reply

IMO, NO, you should not be going places alone! A cruise ship is like a small city. You never know who's around. Things that happen in a small city can happen on a ship.

I'd suggest that you go to the meeting on the first day for the Teen Group. You can make new friends and there are a lot of activities for teens onboard where you can feel safe and have fun. If you are nervous about walking back to your cabin alone, just ask a staff member to walk with you.

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time, but please don't take any chances!

I agree with Fern. Just use common sense, NEVER go into anyone else's cabin for ANY REASON! Even if you meet friends your age and they need to go back to their cabin, just tell them you will wait on deck for them. If any personal items were missing in someone's cabin, you would look suspicious if you've been in the cabin with someone else. Never let anyone into your cabin! No matter what excuse they might have(use phone to call a parent, use bathroom, etc). Also, NEVER walk around the decks at night by yourself.
Go to the first teen meeting and you will meet friends. Carnival does an excellent job of trying to arrange seating at dinner to include teenagers your age. My son was 17 on our first cruise and kinda shy. By the second day he had 3 buddies( 2 guys and 1 girl that was about 14). Don't be shy and wait around until half the cruise is over with to make buddies.
Is there any way you could possibly take a friend with you from home???
You're going to love your cruise!!!!
Just remember.....most of the other teens are going to be by themselves also, and they are just as anxious to make friends, so make at least 4 new friends the first day at sea, and you'll have someone to pal around with all week.

I've cruised with my kids (12, 14, 17 & 21) and have been for years. Treat being on ship the same way you would as being at home. My kids have gone to the teen meet and greet on the first night and have then either been in an organized activity or with me. Don't wander around on your own at night. I also agree with the advice of not going to anyone's cabin or allowing anyone into yours. Other rules for my kids are: Don't give out your cabin number. If you leave your drink while dancing, playing games, in the pool, etc. get a new one. Don't drink it if it has been out of your sight. Also, if you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable in any situation don't be afraid to just leave.

definatley check out the teen club and teen activities.
Be very aware of the crew. Do not by any means go on a "date" with any of the crew. Do not go to the crew quarters do not attend any crew functions. Remember these men and far from home and "love-starved" shall we say.

Whilst it's always 'good' to be wary of all people, the crew are probably the most trustworthy of all.

In the event that a crew member had inappropriate interaction with a passenger, not only would they be fired on the spot, they would be the 'scum of the earth' with their fellow crew members.

Here's why.

On ships the crew have a policy of 'no fraternisation' with passengers. The consequences of (for example) a crew member being in a passenger cabin without valid reason causes *all* crew members to be put under suspicion. This goes down like a lead balloon with the crew, and on some lines the crew will shout if they know of another crew member breaking these cardinal rules of 'no fraternisation'.

I would think that a teen in need of any assistance would be well advised to ask a crew member straight away for help.

And as for a crew member asking (eg) 'would you like to come to my cabin?' of a teen - all hell would break loose.

From what I've seen on all ships, teens have a *better* time than on a land based vacation for the simple reason that it is recognised that teens are there and have as much desire to be at ease as anybody else. Cruise lines recognise this and know that there's a lot of money to be made by a) Keeping teens happy, and, b) Keeping parents happy by keeping the teens happy.

Vis-a-vis - Even Cunard - who one might think is *not* a 'child friendly' cruise line - they employ fully qualified nannies to run the nursery - they have a team of children's entertainers - they have age groups ranging from 1 to 17. And, they are *seen* to be doing the job. One time I noticed that they organised a ship treasure hunt. The kids were almost rabied with excitement and parents we met with children spoke endlessly about how marvelous the 'kids crew' were at looking after their charges.

All in all, a ship can make for a very fun place for younger passengers.

My prime and main concern is pure plain and simple. Don't play on the railings!!!! That's where it's dangerous!!!

Superhero - You will be surprised at just how much more friendly a ship is compared to a city/town. People are all in 'the same boat' and with the same intention of having a wonderful time. This feeling of 'I'm on vacation' is all around you and people show their best nature - which includes manners and consideration.

ALL the above suggestions apply...you dont' have to be paranoid...I personally think that because it is a physically contained environment....you are WAY safer on a cruise ship than on land....BUT, having younger loved ones...dont' go in ANYONES' cabin that is not one of YOUR loved ones...or allow them in yours. I also agree that giving out your cabin number is not a good idea...you can alway meet on deck or one of the legitimate hangouts....I am quite sure you have good common sense about you because you asked about the issue of physical safety yourself, but NEVER put yourself in a potentially hazardous situations. Personally, I am a 42 YO Male and I WILL NOT go anywhere "alone" with ANYONE one on a cruise ship but my loved ones...same for poorly lit or populated public areas. Now for the bright side...fellow posters are right, most passengers are a better class of people, not a threat to you and modern cruise ships have EXCELLENT discreetly placed video camaras EVERYWHERE. If in doubt...donot hesitate to find a Security Officer, Another Ships Crew Person...or a fellow Adult Passenger...but again...common sense rules apply...dont' go anywhere Private/un-inhabited.....The ONLY thought that is personally scary to me...PLEASE PROMISE US....YOU WILL NOT...wander off alone when your ship is in Port ANYWHERE! I think if you follow the offered advice of all you will have a great time and love your cruise....I talked to a few teens and parents at the Lido Deck on Glory last June and they all seemed to be having a BLAST:-)

Don't worry, if you use the same common sense you do at home you should be fine. I'm assuming you don't go walking in dark areas alone at night at home, either. Actually, I'm not sure where someone could be abducted to on a cruise ship. As was already said, stay out of crew quarters and other people's cabins and you should be fine.
Ports are a different story. Stay with either a group or your parents. If with a group of teens, try to only do the ships' tours. Most ports are okay, but some are potentially very risky if you are alone. And, not just becuase you are a teen, either. If you do happen to separated in a port, look around for your fellow passengers. If you are in an area where there aren't any, try to find them asap. Locals are much less likely to try anything when there are lots of passengers around. I've been through this before and once I found others from the ship I was okay.
But, most of all, have fun. Be smart, not worried!
Marty

during the nights, im going to want to be hanging out with other teens and trying to make new friends while my dad is gambling or at the bar. I'm 14 and have heard stories of people getting abducted onboard. what are the probabilites of this stuff? is it a cause for alarm? should i not be going places alone? please reply

There are teen clubs on most ships. They have a teen disco and you should be very safe- no fear at all there-our daughter attended these
on her own at your age and she is now 21. She's been on 8 cruises and she has many times went to karoke etc. on her own.

You just have to use good sense, If an adult offers to "buy" you a drink-KNOW they will be wanting something in return. Never leave a drink (even just a coke) unattended as that is when things get "slipped" in.

If you find a person is stalking you or harasing you-find a shiop's officer and report them!

I know people get all upset when they hear about things happening like Natalie Holloway but we all know if she had never left her friends and went off with strangers this would have never happened.

Just have a healthy suscpion of strangers and never think people you have just met are your "friends".

On board - who hasn't come up with the situation where they're trying to find their partner and ended up visiting 'places they usually go to' and asking (for example) the bar tender 'Have you seen my husband/wife?'.? Sometimes you get the reply 'Yes, they were here about 20 minutes ago and went looking for you'.

This has prompted some people to take walkie talkies on board to communicate with. Works ok when you're both on deck but inside the signal drops away quickly. Also, other passengers tend to roll their eyes and say 'Can't we get away from cell 'phones etc for even a few days?'.
(Not that we've ever taken them on board - we'd be too embarassed!!)

We've found that leaving a note in the cabin is the best way to handle 'where *have* they got to???'. Go back to the cabin and leave a note saying where you'll be and for how long and where after that etc.'.

On shore - the absolute golden rule is 'stay together', but it's still wise to have a backup plan should you become separated. Note the phone number of the ship's agent at that port of call. Good shipping lines should give you this information before arriving at each port.

As soon as you get ashore, identify a place that's 'high visibility' and an easy place to meet up and sit and wait. A sidewalk cafe/restaurant near to the port/tender is good. (Anyway, you can then people watch if you need to wait!!!). Make sure that everybody (including children) has enough money on them to make 'phone calls, buy a drink etc., and take a taxi ride. If cell phones work at that port - test it out when you get ashore. No need to answer to test it.... just let it ring briefly and you'll not incur an International phone call charge.

Toddlers - use reins, and don't let go for a second. Attach to them in any way you can a note saying who they are and what ship they're on and when it is due to sail together with your meeting point. Also, of course, if cell phones are active, put your cell phone number on the note - and try and make it easy for somebody at that destination to dial it. ie. Make sure that they can identify that they need to use a dialing code etc.

How to avoid getting separated in the first place.

Avoid crowds. Crowds and people waiting in lines tend to cause people to want to push around to get where they want to. This leads to somebody intersposing themselves between you and one of your party. With children, they become invisible very quickly with tall people around. So try and have your children directly infront of you where you can see them, rather then behind you where you lose awareness of where they are. I knew one couple who always gave their toddler a stick with a flag on.... just in case.

Be aware when boarding buses etc, they can suddenly become 'full' and half your party may board but not the remainder. There's usually some confusion at this point as to 'do the ones who boarded get off or do they stay on and you catch the next one?' You'd be surprised, even when the buses leave every five minnutes, how easy it is to start the chain of 'losing touch'. After all, it's difficult when you're taking a bus to a place you've never been to before to agree (just as the doors are closing) 'We'll meet up at........?'

The really worst thing to do though.... is to get lost. Apart from it being frustrating, it's sometimes highly dangerous as you stick out like a sore thumb when you're lost and that attracts the attention of the wrong people.

Small towns are easy to navigate, but some large towns 'lead you away' down side streets and, as your attention may be drawn to (for example) shops and sites, you tend to lose sense of North/South etc. Therefore, if possible, as soon as you step ashore, get a town map for EVERYBODY in your party. You can also use this to help mark your meeting place.

Going ashore is an exciting adventure. Being well prepared makes it safer and more enjoyable because you have knowledge of what you're doing.